JUDGE-TURNED-POLITICIAN Herbert Volney, 69, died on Wednesday morning, prompting a flood of condolences on social media. He is survived by his wife Trisha Mohan-Volney and their two sons and adult children from a previous relationship.
Dominican-born Volney served ten years (1979-1989) in the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) where he rose to become Assistant DPP. He later became a High Court judge in 1994, but resigned suddenly to contest and win the St Joseph seat in the 2010 general election for the People's Partnership (PP).
Questions were raised as to whether his sudden transition violated the constitutional ideal of a separation of powers between judiciary and executive.
Volney became a household name in 1998 after he directed a nine-member jury to return a not-guilty verdict against Brad Boyce, who was on trial for the unlawful killing of Jason Johnson in 1996. The matter was appealed all the way up to the Privy Council which ruled in 2006 that Volney was wrong. However, no retrial was ordered because of the amount of time which had elapsed by then.
He faced public backlash again when in 1999 when he upheld a no-case submission in the case of businessman Rick Gomes and Luis Gomez who were on trial for cocaine possession.
The PP government split the roles of the AG's Ministry into three ministries, with Volney as justice minister, alongside minister of legal and consumer affairs Prakash Ramadhar, and Anand Ramlogan as AG.
However, Volney was fired in September 2012 by then prime minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar who accused him of misleading the Cabinet.
He was blamed, and accepted responsibility, for the early proclamation and eventual assenting of an amended section 34 of the Administration of Justice (Indictable Offences) Act. This opened the door for suspects, including those in the Piarco airport expansion corruption case, to apply to have their cases discharged on the basis that more than ten years had elapsed without their matters being brought to conclusion. The law was repealed after a public uproar.
A UNC statement on Wednesday said, "The United National Congress extends its condolences to the family of former Minister of Justice, Herbert Volney.
"We are grateful for his service to Trinidad and Tobago as a judge and a minister. May he rest in peace."
Health Minister and St Joseph MP Terrence Deyalsingh, in a text message to Newsday, said St Joseph had lost one of its own.
"I am very saddened at the news especially as he contacted me on an issue just last week.
"He supported me in many ways, and I extend my heartfelt condolences to his family. May his soul rest in eternal peace."
After Jack Warner's firing from Cabinet by Persad-Bissessar, Warner resigned as Chaguanas West MP, formed the ILP and then won the subsequent by-election in his own right.
However when Volney was axed as minister, he left the UNC prompting the PNM to invoke crossing-of-the-floor legislation to m
